The presence of water in diesel fuel tanks is a problem for both automobile fuel tanks and fuel storage tanks. In both cases, significant levels of water settle at the bottom of the tank, supporting the less dense immiscible fuel thereabove by means of surface tension at the fuel-water interface. It is necessary to remove the water from the tank for many reasons. For example, the water, if permitted to collect, limits the useful capacity of the tank. In addition, in colder climates, the water tends to freeze. Further, the presence of water in the fuel will often cause the fuel filter to become clogged and the engine to stall. Any water passing through the filters can cause damage to the fuel injection system.
Several prior art devices have been proposed for removing water from fuel tanks. These have, for the most part, been found unsatisfactory for one reason or another. Many such devices require periodic maintenance by a vehicle driver at intervals which are more frequent that would normally be the case for such vehicles. Other devices require frequent emptying of a water collection tank into which the separated water is passed. Still other prior art devices, although operating automatically to discharge collected water, can only be used in conjunction with air brakes such as those employed on heavy commercial vehicles.
All prior art devices utilize filtrates to effect the separation of water from fuel while this device utilizes wicking or capillary activity to remove water deposits before these deposits leave the storage vessel.
With the increasing popularity of diesel engines for automobiles, there is a definite need for a convenient, simple, efficient and inexpensive approach to separating water from diesel fuel.